


Monsters of the mind

by myotishia



Series: Thin ice [8]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Multi, Psychological Horror, inspired by Silent Hill, lots of art in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-04 20:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21203756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: An entire village of people haven't been heard from in some time and though there has been no recent rift activity it has all the hallmarks of a case in need of Torchwood attention. Unfortunately the team find themselves taking the brunt of what is really going on.





	1. Ghost town

**Author's Note:**

> New reader? Start right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551278)

“How do the entire population of a village just disappear off the face of the Earth?” Asked Jack, open to suggestions. 

Tosh looked over at him. “No sign of rift activity in the area within the last month so I doubt they’ve been spirited away.”

“No reports of anything out of the ordinary in the sky or anyone suspicious turning up.” Added Gwen, leaning on her desk.

“Well, you all know what that means.” He grinned. 

Owen glared at him. “Don’t say it.”

“Field trip.” 

“So I’m running logistics for this one, am I?” Gwen pouted, knowing she couldn’t just disappear off for however long it could take. 

“Think of it as a short holiday. You’ll still be on call but when are you ever not?”

“This all feels a bit familiar, doesn’t it. People disappearing, small village, no readings.”

“And that ended so well last time.” Ianto grumbled, crossing his arms defensively.

Jack stood. “That’s not going to happen again. I’ll make sure of that.”

He knew the odds of two villages full of cannibals was a close to zero chance but he still couldn’t shake that nervousness. It was low enough for him to ignore but it was still there, just under the surface. 

“If you’re planning on camping then I’m sleeping in the SUV.” Owen said, breaking the tension a little.

Elise lent back in her chair. “Aww come on, sleeping snuggled up under the stars sounds romantic.”

“While getting eaten alive by bugs?”

“That’s what insect repellent’s for. And the nights sky is so beautiful away from the city.”

“No wifi and barely any phone signal.”

“What? Why?”

“Because setting down miles of cable for three people and their dog is pointless, and no one’s worked out how to make sheep that give off wifi yet.”

“My time had many, many faults but at least I could get wifi everywhere.”

“Still want to go camping?”

“Yes.”

“Tosh, back me up on this.”

Tosh looked over at him then at Elise. “I think it’s a good idea. If the whole population has gone missing I’d rather not be sleeping in a compromised building. And the stars do sound nice. It’s meant to be a clear night tonight.” 

Owen slouched. “I’ve got no choice in this, have I.”

Driving through the village was eerie. The whole place had been suddenly abandoned, doors still stood open, the postmans bike still leaned against a garden wall and a football sat discarded on the roadside. 

“Looks like we’re going to have to investigate on foot.” Jack said, feeling a deep uneasiness about the place. 

Tosh looked up from her screen. “Before we do I’m picking up some sort of telepathic signal.” 

“Where from?”

“It’s in this area but it’s faint. I can’t pin it down. I might have better luck on foot.”

“Right. I’ll park somewhere on the border. Are you going to wake your other third up?”

“Hmm?” Tosh realised that Elise was fast asleep, leaning on her shoulder. She chuckled softly. “Now I feel bad. She’s been trying to stay up with us so she doesn’t have to go to bed alone, but we lose track of time.”

“Set an alarm. Knowing Elise she’ll drive herself to exhaustion before giving up.”

Owen rolled his eyes. “Tried and failed. I even tried waiting for her to fall asleep to go and do something else but she has a ridiculous amount of strength and will not let you leave.”

“Read a book?”

“I have.”

“You burned out your options too quickly. You have to pace yourself or life gets really boring.” 

“I know that now.” He nudged Elises arm. “Eli, rise and shine.”

“World cold and scary, shoulder warm and comfy.” She mumbled, nuzzling into Toshikos shoulder. 

Tosh smiled. “Well the shoulder’s going to be moving in a moment.”

“Nooooo.” 

Hopping out of the SUV there was a slight chill to the air. Not enough to be uncomfortable, but enough to warn of a cold night. The ground was dry and the grass was long. Jack looked around concerned. 

“What’s wrong?” Asked Tosh as she pulled one of her monitoring devices from her bag.

“It’s not just the people who are missing.” 

“Hmm?” She stood and looked around at the empty pastures around them. The only life that could be seen was a small group of crows perched on the fence to the neighbouring field, feeding on something. “They look happy.”

“Think our weevil whisperer could work her magic with the crows? I don’t know what they’re eating but it doesn’t look good.”

“She’s good with cats but I’m not so sure about birds.”

They looked over to see Elise drinking from a thermos cup with a smile on her face, Ianto rolling his eyes at her. He’d known she’d be dumb enough to try and stay up. Mostly because he’d done the exact same thing when he’d first started spending so much time with Jack. It didn’t matter what Jack told him he wanted to spend that time together, even if he was tired the next day. It had only ended when Gwen found him passed out with the door to Janets cell open. Luckily the weevil had decided that the bucket he’d been holding was much more interesting and left him alone, other than taking one of his buttons from his jacket. He theorised because it was shiny but, much like everything else Janet got her hands on, she ate it. Either way, he had to accept that he simply could not stay conscious that long. At least Elise had decided to stop after a nap and not pushed it so far as to pass out. 

“Thank you oh great coffee angel.” She said, holding out the empty cup. 

“As long as you don’t do it again.”

“You have my word.”

“I’d get you to drag Owen out of the SUV but I think you’re needed elsewhere.” He pointed over to Tosh and Jack. 

“What’s up?” She asked, trotting over. 

“Do you think you could teleport over there and find out what those crows are eating?” Tosh asked, pointing to the fence. 

“Are you sure it’s not just roadkill.”

“It looks a little too big for that.” 

“Ok. Be right back.” She made sure to crouch and teleport far enough away to not disturb the birds. The smell of rotten meat hit her the moment she appeared. She covered her nose and mouth before creeping closer. The crows were eating large chunks of something, their beaks held open by what was inside. As one of the birds turned she realised they weren’t normal crows. They had no eyes in their head but held one large eyeball in their beak that turned and reacted to the change of light as if they were still alive. The rest turned to look at the intruder and shot into the air along with a large group of others that had been hidden in the grass. She teleported back.

“Those aren’t normal crows.” She said, hoping she wouldn’t be noticed by the flock. “They’re not eating, they’re holding their own eyes. Like a black cloud the birds hovered in the air before shooting towards the group. Jack fired upon the flock and a few fell in a rain of feathers, only to blink out of existence before hitting the grass. One dodged through the gunfire and dove, catching Toshikos arm with its talons. Its life was swiftly ended by a very pissed off Owen, who was about ready to say sod it to the whole thing until the cloud of killer birds had descended. Once half of the flock was picked off the rest flickered and glitched before ceasing to exist. 

Tosh held the gash in her arm. “Where did they go?” 

“They’re gone. All that matters now. Let me take a look at your arm.” He said, as he helped her to her feet. The cut wasn’t deep but it looked jagged and painful. 

Once she was patched up Tosh joined the group heading into the village. There was definitely something creating the crows and sending out the telepathic signal. The eerie silence continued even between buildings. 

“So those things didn’t attack until you got close to them?” Owen asked, keeping an eye out for any more crows.

Elise shook her head. “They weren’t bothered at all. Why?”

“They would have seen us when we drove up. They didn’t get aggressive until you saw they weren’t just crows.”

“So, they weren’t a thread until you perceived them as one.” Tosh clarified, following Owens train of thought. “The telepathic pull is getting stronger he-” She stopped with a start. A large concrete box stood in the centre of the road. She didn’t know why but just looking at the thing made her nervous. 

“Is that what’s giving off the telepathic waves?” Asked Jack, taking a step closer to the thing. “Tosh?”

“Oh um… No…” She could barely keep her eyes off the block, like there was something inside. Something she needed to let out. “Do you think it opens?”

“Opens?”

Owen looked at her. “Tosh, it’s a concrete box, not a safe.”

“I know… I just… I’m sure it opens.” She continued, taking a step forward without even realising. 

“How?”

As if to answer his question a heavy panel, in lieu of a door, creaked open. A small, white haired, figure was sat, curled up inside dressed in an orange jumpsuit. Tosh could feel her heart in her throat as she stared at the eyes opening in the dirty concrete walls of the box. 

The figure turned its head, squinting at the light, the chain locked around its ankle rattling. The eyes collectively looked down at it. 

“Help me!” The figure screamed, revealing itself to be female, her lips roughly stitched together.

Tosh wanted to call out but found her voice gone. 

Owen moved to get closer to try and help the poor girl but Jack grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Don’t.”

“Why?” Owen asked in confusion.

“It doesn’t make sense. Why the box, why here, why dressed like she is? Think about it.”

The girl reached out, sobbing and desperate. 

“I… I have to help her.” Tosh whimpered, trying to rush past, only to be blocked by Ianto. She drew her gun and pointed it directly at him. Tears running down her face. “I have to help her. Please, get out of my way. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Tosh.” Ianto stared, hands up . “You know this isn’t you. This is wrong.”

“I… Just let me save her. I have to.”

“Just think it through. Jack’s right it doesn’t make sense.”

Her hand shook. “I’m scared.”

From behind her Jack wrapped his arms over hers, knocking the gun from her hand and pinning her arms to her sides. She thrashed and screamed until a shot rang out. The figure in the box flew back, a hole in the centre of her head. Elise frowned deeply, hoping that they were all right about it being an illusion or trap of some kind. Tosh descended into hysterical sobbing, no longer fighting Jack as he held her in place. The sound of moving chains pulled her attention back as the hole in the prisoners head closed. 

“Owen, that house is open, get her inside.” Ordered Jack, pushing Tosh forwards into his arms. 

The doctor didn’t need telling, he firmly guided Tosh towards the door, breaking her line of sight. Inside she fell to her knees, gasping for breath. He sat on the floor with her as she clung to him. 

“I’m sorry.” She sobbed. “I don’t know why I did that I-”

“Hey, it’s ok. We know.” He soothed, petting her hair. 

“I looked at her and she was… She was me and I … Oh god.” 

“Tosh, listen, listen. Deep breaths.”

She shook but took a deep breath, easing the ache in her chest. “I… I can’t go back out there.”

“That’s not going to be a problem. We’re going to stay right here.”

She lent heavily on his chest, her breathing becoming steady as she gathered her thoughts. 

The concrete box lifted and the screams from the being inside got louder. Ianto grabbed Toshiko’s gun and alongside his own he used it to silence the figure again, even if only temporarily.

“We need to find a weak point.” Jack said, more to himself than the others. 

“The map said there’s a large pond in the centre of town. I don’t think it can swim and if it can we’re in bigger trouble than I thought.” Ianto gestured to his right, down a long street. 

“Any idea how we’re going to lure the thing down there?”

Elise piped up, still glaring daggers into the box. “I might have an easier idea. Trust me?”

“Could your idea kill you?”

“No.”

“Then go for it.”

She teleported onto the top of the box before they both disappeared, only for her to reappear moments later alone. 

Jack looked around. “Where did you put it?”

She held up a finger asking for one moment as the box dropped, shattering into pieces as it slammed onto the earth, leaving a crater in the middle of the road. The pieces glitched and disappeared. “As high as I could muster.”

Both men looked up then at the crater. 

“No one hurts the people I care about.” 

Ianto broke the awkwardness. “I’m so glad you’re on our side.”

Tosh stood, much too quickly, as she saw Ianto enter the building. “I’m so sorry.” She said, almost falling over before Owen caught her. 

“It’s ok. It wasn’t your fault.” He replied, handing her gun back to her. 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m certain. Didn’t you hear the crash?”

“What was that?”

“Just Elise being Elise.”

Owen rubbed the back of his neck. “Did she cut it into pieces?”

“No, she dropped it from a great height.”

“I didn’t even know she could do that.”

“Teleportation.” 

“Right.”

Tosh looked to the front door where Jack was standing watch. “That thing was specifically targeting me. That could mean that all of us have… “

“Monsters.”

“I suppose you could call them that. Then there’s also a chance of running into the residents monsters too.”

“So we’re in Silent hill.” Owen almost laughed at how ridiculous that sounded. “I’m not fighting pyramid head.”

“Running isn’t the worst idea until we find the source of all this. The longer we wait the higher the chance of running into another one of those monsters.” She picked up the monitoring device and checked the signal. 

Outside, Elise had climbed up onto one of the sheds then up again onto a flat roof to get a better look at the area. 

“Anything?” Asked Jack, leaning against the door frame. 

She shook her head. “Not yet… Wait…”

“Yea?”

She took a photo on her phone before making a pretty impressive jump down. “We need to move, now!”

“Why?”

She held out the slightly blurry image of the cybernetic monstrosity that was slowly staggering towards the street. “If we circle around we should be able to avoid it.” 

The long way round ended outside the local pub, the Olde duck pond, a well cared for but old stone building that sat next to the large pond. It was more of a small lake than a typical pond. A couple of figures, looking human, sat at the other side of the water. They waved over at the team.

“They look a bit calm for being around here.” Owen noted.

Ianto shrugged. “Maybe they’re just stuck.” 

“Let’s find out.” Jack smiled, walking off around the edge of the water. Ianto sighed and followed, knowing it was a bad idea but the only one they had. Getting closer the women did have their feet in the water and were laid across the rocks. 

“Good afternoon ladies.” Called Jack, his friendly manner and charm in full force. 

One of the women looked up and grinned. “Hello. Join us, please.” 

“As much as I’d love to we’ve got work to attend to. Have you seen where everyone went?”

“No idea. We’re not from here exactly. Why don’t you bring your friends over?”

The second woman, hugging a large rock sighed. “Why bother? It’s not as if it’ll change anything.” Both had the same voice and upon closer inspection were wrapped in the same dress. 

The first woman began to laugh bitterly. “It’s true. And I wouldn’t bother trying to jump in.”

“Jump in?” Asked Jack, narrowing his eyes. 

A scream and a loud splash answered him.

Tosh watched Jack and Ianto approach the figures at the other side of the pond. The monitor in her hand was showing the strongest reading yet. 

“It can’t be far from here.” She said, looking back at Owen who had taken a seat at one of the tables. 

He leaned on his hand. “As long as I don’t have to face a fear monster all my own. Think we could get away with staying for a drink?” 

“After we’ve found the source I wouldn’t mind.”

“That’s a big part of camping from what I’ve heard. Getting off your face drunk and burning food over a fire.”

“That’s a recipe for disaster.” 

“And?”

“And?”

“You didn’t say yes or no.”

“Maybe without the fire.” She sat down across from him. “Are you going to sit on the cold steps?” 

Elise looked up from her spot in the pub doorway. “Yea… Those seats are too close to the water.”

“We’re nowhere near.”

“That’s subjective but I’m just fine right here. I don’t need a fear monstrosity, I have that pond.” 

Owen sighed. “Have you tried therapy? Seriously, I mean, we work on the other side of a wall that holds back the bay.”

“I’ve spoken to a councillor and diligently attended CBT appointments, and I even tried hypnotherapy, but my fear of water is stronger than all of it. It’s like liquid death. That reinforced wall means a lot to me. I’ve seen the blueprints for it. That thing’s strong enough to t-” He words were cut short by a spindly hand grabbing her ankle and pulling her into the water. The shock of the cold water nearly stole the leftover air from her lungs as she was pulled further down into the dark water. She could hear voices close by with one she couldn’t help recognise. Her mother. Of course her fear monster was her mother, how could it be anything else?

“Isn’t it convenient? How perfect you were to fix all of their problems? Normal enough to get along with Gwen. Soft hearted enough to be best friends with Ianto and different enough to have Jack sympathise. You wanted to know why I hated you? You’re a thing, not my child.”

She didn’t understand and let out a final breath asking what her mother meant.

Her mothers voice laughed bitterly. “The man you’ve fallen for would never just make someone abandon their lives, so he pulled the strings to make you. Immune to amnesia pills, correct blood type just in case and just the perfect amount of bitterness for his best friend to fix and fall for. She became attached to you very quickly, didn’t she? Why would someone like her want a failure like you? Because you were made for her. He knew his past self would never say anything to her so he made you. You’re nothing but a plaything that’s worn out its welcome. You've done what you were created to do so now you can just die!”

The sound of water was replaced by rushing wind and muffled voices as she was dragged from the water. Back in solid ground she rolled onto her side, coughing up water, her mothers words still swimming through her mind.

Peter Morgan had been watching the strangers through the pub window, trying to work out if they were another form of the monsters that had invaded the small village. When the woman furthest away from the water was dragged in it became pretty clear they were human. The man who’d been sitting at one of the tables immediately threw off his coat and dived in after her. 

Peter unlocked the pub door and ran out, looking over the railing to the water. “When they come up get them to come in. We’ve got a fire and that water’s icy right now.”

Tosh looked to him and nodded before turning back to the water. It seemed like forever before Owen breached the water with a gasp. He swam towards the edge as fast as he could pulling Elise along. Peter offered a hand to help pull them from the pond. Once on dry land Elise began coughing and spitting water as Owen caught his breath. 

“What was down there?” Asked Tosh, kneeling down to check on both of them.

Owen wiped the water from his face. “Bodies. Lots of them… Same face…”

Jack and Ianto skidded to a halt, both relieved that there was no one left in the water. 

“Come on, you should get inside before more of those things show up.” Peter said urgently, looking around. Jack picked up Elise and Tosh helped Owen up so they could head inside. The pub was warm, all the tables had been pushed to the walls and were being used as makeshift beds. There was an open fire at the far side of the room where an old woman stood.

“Mum, we’ve got some more guests.” Peter called. “I’ll go and grab you some towels.” He nodded to Owen.

The woman turned and smiled sympathetically. “Oh dear. I hoped the outside world hadn’t forgotten us but I expected an army. Grab some chairs and I’ll make some tea.”

“Is everyone here? The whole village?” Asked Jack as he placed Elise down on a chair near the fire.

“Some of us. Others headed up to the boarding school a couple of miles down the road. We haven’t seen any of them since. Those that stayed here are upstairs. After the commotion earlier they didn’t want to be anywhere near the door.”

“When did this start miss…?”

She chuckled warmly. “Just call me Aggy like everyone else does. We started seeing the monsters a week ago. At first it was just the crows, following Ted around when he was checking on the chickens. Then it was the man made of eyes and hands that wouldn’t leave poor old Violet alone. On the third day they began attacking. It was awful.”

“Didn’t anyone try and go for help?”

“Oh yes. Dale took his fancy car after the phones stopped working, headed to the next town over but no matter which direction he drove he always ended up back here. He said he’d get so far and then it was as if he’d fallen asleep then woken up as he drove back into the village.”

Peter returned with a stack of towels that he handed to Owen before going back to his post by the window. Owen wrapped a towel around Elises shoulders.

“How’re you feeling?” He asked.

She looked away from the flames and to him. “I’m warming up.”

“What were they saying down there?”

“Saying?”

“Eli’... Come on, remember who you’re talking to.”

“Just what you’d expect. I’ll be fine. Are you?”

He scoffed. “Better now I’m inside and drying off. When you want to talk about what happened down there I’ll be happy to listen.”

“I’m fine.”

“Course you are.”

Tosh rubbed her eyes, having spent half an hour just trying to re-calibrate the monitor to pinpoint where whatever was causing the creatures to appear. She was getting closer but still couldn’t pin it down exactly. 

“What do you think it’s for?” Asked Ianto, having been watching.

“What what is for?”

“The thing that’s creating these personalised monsters. Why would anyone make something like that.”

She thought for a moment. “Well, I did feel better after my creature was destroyed. Maybe it’s used for therapy. Humans are emotional so we can’t cope but a race that isn’t as emotional might find it useful.”

“So us being here made it a hundred times worse.”

“I suppose so. I just wish I could pinpoint where this device is.” 

“Maybe one of the monsters has it so it’s moving.”

She looked down at the monitor and then rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“You’re tired. That’s all.”

“That would mean we’d have to destroy every single monster and from the picture Elise showed me that might not strictly be possible.”

“Picture?”

“It’s your creature so you don’t want to see it.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “I’d rather know what I’m up against.”

“If you’re sure, Elis phone is waterproof so she can show you.” 

They both turned, hearing Peter from his place at the window. “The metal spider thing’s back.” 

Jack came running, his boots hitting the wooden floor hard. “Keep everyone away from the doors and windows.” He took his blade from his pocket but found it wouldn’t work with the telepathic interference. “Great, plan B it is.” 

The rest of the team gathered as Jack was about to open the door. 

“You should all wait here.”

Owen shook his head. “Not a chance. After what happened to Tosh we can’t trust that any of us are in our right minds. You can’t go out there alone.”

“I’d really appreciate if you were wrong more often.”

“I make no promises.” 

“We might not need to fight it.” Elise coughed, still tasting pond water. “It was staggering around earlier. I think we can trick it into immobilising itself.”

The captain glanced out of the window at the huge, metallic, creature. “What were you thinking?” 

“Peter, hate to be a pain but can you grab the strongest spirits you have.”

The barman nodded, happy to do anything to be free of the situation. 

“If we can get it to pass out we might be able to just burn it… And can I just mention, Jack, your monster will likely be the most dangerous just due to sheer amount of years. Going out on your own would be ridiculous.” 

The others looked at her in confusion at her bluntness as Jack let her words sink in. 

“Yours only attacked you. The more complex they are, the more single minded they are. The only person it would attack is me.” He said softly. 

“Hurting you physically would be pointless for its purposes, that puts everyone else in the line of fire.”

He narrowed his eyes, studying her. Though she was right it wasn’t like her to just say it. She preferred to lead people to their own conclusions. Some of the light in her eyes had left. “What did those things do to you in the water?”

“Why do people keep asking me that?! Can’t I just be messed up from nearly drowning again?!” She snapped, before catching herself and looking down. “Sorry…. Just… Sorry.”

An uncomfortable silence descended, broken by Ianto. “Well, after earlier, I should stay out of that things line of sight.”

“We’ll be back when it’s dealt with. Elise, stay with him.”

She nodded and retreated to her chair by the fire.

Outside, the twisted version of a cyberman swayed back and forth. 

  
  



	2. Fighting back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a village full of creatures made from the residents deepest fears the source of the problem is proving difficult to pin down

As much as Owen had gotten used to it he still hated the acidic stench of vomit. Whatever the blue liquid oozing from the cyber creature was it stank of blood and vomit. The bodies that hung from metal tendrils running to the main body twitched and swayed as it staggered drunkenly left and right, dragging a bundle of tendrils behind it. The blue fluid bubbled and burned away the plant life it dripped on to, hissing angrily. 

He crouched and rolled the bottle towards the creature which moved one of the suspended bodies round to pick it up. The lid rattled to the floor as the body began chugging the liquid through the burlap sack that covered its face. Jack rolled over another bottle and the being repeated the action with another of its bodies. They kept feeding it while Tosh monitored its life signs. 

“Any chance it’s on the brink of death?” Asked Owen, rolling over the sixth bottle.

“No, but it is having an effect. I doubt it could move without falling over at this point.”

He looked down at the last two bottles and an empty one that had rolled back. “Do me a favour. Take my place, I’ve got an idea.” He grabbed the empty bottle and headed over to one of the overgrown gardens, looking for something specific. An old box of rat poison lay under the shelter of part of a broken down sheds roof. He tipped whatever was usable from it into the bottle then brushed aside some of the brambles with his boot. Bingo. Deadly nightshade. Atropa belladonna was a surprisingly common plant in the area as he was sure that at some point part of it had been used as a quarry. He’d seen a sizeable specimen on the way in. Pulling on his gloves he pulled away some of the fruit, crushed it and added it to the bottle. Four hand fulls of the berries should be enough to be deadly to even the huge cyber creature. He ran back and took the last bottle before Tosh offered it to the thing, pouring half of the full bottle into the tainted one. He shook it and handed it back to her. 

“Give him that.”

She rolled it over and watched one of the bodies drink it as it had the rest. For a moment nothing happened but then the creature began to lurch. More and more blue fluid poured from the metal masks mouth. Its limbs fell flat, the bodies disintegrated and finally it was gone. 

“What’s that sound?” Asked Tosh, once the monster was gone. Both men listened. A low buzz, like a wasps nest that had been disturbed was growing louder. The sound was followed by the sickly scent of decomposition. At the top of the street stood what seemed like more of a corpse than a living being, a cloud of insects swirling around its open skull. 

As soon as Jack, Owen and Tosh had left Ianto sat next to Elise in front of the fire. “So… What was that all about?”

She sighed. “Nothing.”

“Are you telling me that, or yourself?”

Not looking at him she began. “Listen… She said I… I was created… Manipulated before I was even born just to be the fix for so many of the problems I was brought back in time to be part of… That future Owen didn’t want someone else to give up their life so he made it so I was what he needed me to be… Immune, the perfect blood type so my body didn’t reject the marking… Twisted my whole life so I’d be perfect for Tosh. Just… A glorified doll.”

“Elise… Even at his most desperate Owen wouldn’t do that.”

“You can’t be sure. All that time alone does things to a person.”

“I met him too. He cared about you.”

“Maybe when he met me.”

“So, what if he did. For the record I don’t think he did, but in theory what if he did? What does that change?”

She finally looked up. “That makes my whole existence a lie. How am I meant to know if I love Tosh and Owen because I fell in love or because I was built to? How do I know they love me because of who I am or what I was made to be?”

“If Owen even thought for a second his future self had done that he would have lost it. You know that. He wouldn’t let anyone get away with manipulating him like that. And no one could have that level of control on your life. He couldn’t have made you have a passion for music or engineering. He couldn’t have made you love someone you didn’t really love. It doesn’t work that way.”

“How can I be sure?”

“Just tell Owen you’re not sure your mum was faithful. He’d be able to tell right away if someone had added anything to your genetic code. I know we’ve got your mums DNA on file and I’m pretty sure we have most of yours too. Same as the rest of us.”

“I … I can’t even face them. If I’m wrong then aren’t I the worst kind of bitch?”

“You’re allowed to have doubts, especially with your circumstances. Nobody thinks any less of you for that. Did you ever talk to them about what happened when you were still sleep talking?”

She shook her head. “I don’t even know how I’d explain it. It’s not like it’s the kind of thing where I could just point to a part on a doll. Having something trying to violate the very essence of what you are is just… Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t had Rofocale to save me. Would I have even woken up?”

“You were saved, that’s what matters. You’re not in danger anymore. You never have to go back there.”

“I will have to when I die.”

“You are the rift and the rift is you. You can stay on whatever side you want to be on. We’re not going anywhere.”

“I feel like you guys are leaving me behind and there’s no way I can keep up. I can barely stay awake.”

“You’re one of us. We’re never going to leave you behind, asleep or awake. Just admit that you’re scared to sleep alone and they’ll stay with you. Admitting you’re scared doesn’t make you weak. Let them see who you are, good and bad. The parts of you that you hate the most don’t feel so painful if someone loves them for you.”

“Thanks.” She leaned into him and to her surprise he hugged her back. 

A crash pulled them from their moment, a large doglike creature crashing through the window and pinning Peter to the floor. The man screamed hysterically as he looked into the maw of the beast, rows upon rows of jagged teeth hovering only inches above his face. Ianto kicked it in the head, knocking it into the wall as Elise pulled Peter away. The man curled up in a ball on the floor as Aggy hobbled over to comfort her son.

“He’s always been afraid of dogs.” She said.

As guns seemed to do very little to these monsters Ianto ran over to the fire and picked up the poker that had been left in the flames. He swung it towards the drooling animal that snapped and growled. The metal hissed as it came into contact with the side of the monsters face. It grabbed the poker between its teeth and tore it from Iantos hand, letting it clatter to the floor. He stepped back as the creature stared him down. Elise took the chance to pull the knife from her boot and jump on its back, slicing through its throat. It disappeared and landed her on her front on the floor. 

“I thought the blades weren’t working.”

“They aren’t.” She smiled, holding up the folding blade he’d given her long ago. “Doesn’t effect this one.”

Aggy looked up. “If you need weapons then we have some reenactment pieces in the cellar.”

“Worth a look.” 

In the cellar was a storage area filled with medieval weaponry. Elise picked up one of the long swords. “Not bad. A bit blunt but I can fix that. Guns don’t work too well on these constructs but decapitation should.”

“I’ve never swung a sword before.” 

“I’ll give you a crash course before we head out.”

Owens heart pounded in his ears as the angry swarm rose into the air. One of the insects had moved away from the group and unnoticed landed on his arm. Its stinger pierced through his jacket and sent a blinding pain through his arm. He almost fell, clutching his arm and screaming. Tosh dragged him into the nearest open building, holding the door and looking for Jack. 

“Get inside.” The captain ordered, shooting the main body of the creature in the leg before making a run for the houses in the opposite direction. She did as she was told, pulling a table in front of the door and checking all the windows to make sure they were closed. Owen was still curled around his arm on the floor, barely holding back screams. She knelt down next to him and looked through the pockets inside his jacket. Not that he’d admit it but he’d hand sewn every single one in there so if he was anywhere without his backpack he wouldn’t be without the things he needed. She hoped that the injector in the top far left pocket was still sterile after he’d thrown his jacket to the ground before jumping into the pond. It seemed to be. She loaded it with a double dose of one of the strongest painkillers he had and pressed it against his shoulder. A few minutes passed before he stopped shaking and his breathing steadied. 

“Thanks.” He said quietly, voice cracking. 

She smiled softly, trying her best to be comforting. “Can I take a look at your arm?”

“If I don’t have to move… Not that I could.”

She helped peel his jacket off and winced at the sting. Like a wasp, the insect had left its jagged stinger behind and the skin around it had become hot and red. She took a pair of tweezers and, as gently as she could, eased the black shard out. His arm bled heavily, dripping down onto the carpet.

“So this is your monster.” She said as she cleaned and wrapped his arm.

Owen nodded. “I hate anything in swarms but especially anything that carries disease. That corpse out there… I can smell the infection on it. It’s walking death.”

“You work with death every day.”

“In a closed, sanitary environment. I can control everything. I can make sure it doesn’t spread and hurt anyone. I’m not a complete germaphobe, but I know what can happen. I just…. I want to help people but that thing out there is beyond help.”

She sighed. “You’re sweeter than you pretend you are.”

“Tosh, don’t.”

“I’m serious.”

“Just don’t go telling anyone, eh?” He gave a weak smile.

“I won’t.” 

The world lit up bright orange for a moment, fire flashing outside the window. The sound of squealing insects and burning flesh filled the air. Tosh ran to the window and watched the creature glitch and dissipate, Jack standing over the other side of the road. She ran around and pulled the table away from the door but when it was opened Jack was nowhere to be seen. 

Owen pulled himself up and shakily joined her. “Why does everything smell like chlorine and mustard?”

Jack had heard a cry for help from a voice he was sure he recognised and had found himself running towards it. More voices joined the first. His skin felt as if it was burning and it became hard to breathe. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and covered his mouth and nose. A figure stumbled ahead of him, something sitting on its shoulder. It turned and he fell to his knees. The fairy cackled and fluttered its wings. 

So many faces and twisted limbs wrapped in damaged flesh, drooling the sickly yellow fluid common after a mustard gas attack. Upon seeing him hundreds of voices began to scream. He clutched his ears to block it out as blood ran down from them. He knew them, every single one of those voices, those faces. Those eyes burning into him.

“I’m sorry! I tried to save you! I tried!” He sobbed, his tears burning his skin. “All of you!”

The main mouth, half melted away and still oozing yellow foam, spoke above the other voices. “You should have died! Not us. This is your fault!”

“I couldn’t! I should have saved you but I’m only one man! Please!”

Ianto swung the long-sword he’d chosen at the creature, a humanoid being, twisted and warped beyond recognition, slicing into where its neck should be. The monsters were gathering and they were putting up a decent resistance. Elise seemed to be taking it in her stride and he wondered if there was a time dilation effect in the rift as she moved like she’d been trained in sword combat for decades, not less than a year. Plus she’d made the blunt practice swords sharp enough to actually cut. He considered asking her to teach him. He brought his sword down onto the last spider-like beast and the rest retreated. 

Tosh and Owen waved from the top of the street. 

“Glad you’re ok. Where’s Jack?” Ianto asked. 

Tosh frowned. “We hoped he’d gone back to check on you.” 

Ianto tapped his earpiece. “Jack? Where are you?... Jack?” No reply.

“I took the liberty of installing tracking chips in our communications devices so…” She took out her phone and tapped a few icons. “It doesn’t have a full map of the area but it can give us a general direction.” The screen lit up with a white arrow. 

“Let’s go then.” Elise said, walking ahead, sword in hand. 

“You seem better.”

“Yea, sorry. That thing got to me and I shouldn’t have let it. I promise I won’t be such a bitch from now on.” 

“No one thought you were being a bitch just a bit snappy.” 

“It’s ok, I was being a complete bitch and it wasn’t fair on you guys.” She coughed softly, tasting something in the air. “What is that? Mustard? Chlorine?” 

Owen let the clues sink in and stopped, still holding his mostly numb arm. “Stop. We need hazmat gear if we’re going any further.”

“What? Why?” Ianto asked, just wanting to go.

“Think about it. Two of the most well known chemical weapons used in both world wars, mustard and chlorine gas. If you go running in there you’re going to start throwing up your own lungs as your face burns off. Immortal or not you don’t need to go through that.”

“I can’t just wait.”

“Do we have our hazmat gear in the SUV?” Asked Elise.

“I think so, but only one full suit. The others are on order.”

“I can grab it for you and you can drag Jack away from that thing. Once you’re safe we can move from there.” 

“Go ahead.” 

She nodded and disappeared, reappearing a few minutes later with a case.

Jack could barely think. Everything hurt, every exposed bit of skin feeling like it was burning away, and all he could hear was screaming. He couldn’t even remember where he was anymore. It felt like a battlefield. It had to be. Only a war could bring that level of hell. Even in the air force you could find yourself on the battlefield. Planes shot down, air fields being attacked, landing in enemy territory. He’d known so many people who thought the air force would be the easiest route and keep them out of the literal and proverbial trenches. Those were the first kind of people to die and take good people with them. Too many times he’d watched good friends and occasional lovers die in such awful ways, right in front of his eyes. Sometimes it was worse if they didn’t die as they were never the same. The hate for him escaping, seemingly unscathed, grew day by day as they realised how damaged they’d become. He learned that distance was better. If there were few emotional ties to people it was easier to move on. Then there was Ianto Jones. He had been different. Too stubborn to let things go. Too smart to keep the lies hidden from. Loyal to a fault. Even at Jacks worst, Ianto hadn’t turned his back on him. A thought to cling to and fight through the pain haze. He suddenly felt himself being dragged and opened his stinging eyes to see a hazmat suit, the Torchwood logo printed on it. Torchwood. Yes. This wasn’t a battlefield. This was a mission. He didn’t dare look back at the thing that had sent his mind spiralling, but somehow he knew he didn’t have to. He closed his eyes and decided not to fight. He was exhausted and in pain but he knew he’d be ok. 

Ianto hated seeing Jack in that level of distress. He’d seen him have trouble with his PTSD before but this was so much more. This was tantamount to torture and he wouldn’t stand for it. With a burst of strength, fuelled by anger, he lifted Jack onto his shoulder and did his best to get back to the team. If nothing else Owen had enough painkillers with him to put the captain out while his mind pulled the shards of itself back together. Elise had gone back to the pub to get a couple of blankets and towels. As much as she insisted she never wanted kids she had a tendency to mum people when she was worried about them. Ianto gently eased Jack to the floor, fully seeing the damage that had been done. Owen winced at the sight and Tosh looked on the verge of tears seeing the captain with his skin burned and blistered away, barely breathing. They all knew Jack would heal but that wasn’t the point. Ianto took the sword Elise had been using. 

“Remember, wide stance, aim for the head, don’t hold back.” She said as she relinquished the blade. 

He turned to see the staggering flesh pile, a fairy perched on its shoulder hissing. The sword didn’t feel so heavy anymore as he raised it and charged. The screams it let out hit him like a tidal wave, the sound sensitive earplugs he was wearing preventing any initial damage, but he was beyond letting anything slow him down. The body of the beast burst under the force of the swing, spraying half coagulated blood across the road surface. The fairy tried to clamber up and get back into the air, the sword having sliced clean through one of its wings. He roared as he brought his boot down on the fairies head. The whole mess glitched and faded, leaving a small box behind. It was all the fault of that box. Everything they’d all been through. He lifted the blade and brought it down onto the device, smashing it into a million pieces. 

When Jack awoke, after Owen had decided to just keep him sedated and pain free until he was healed, he took a clear breath and dared to take a look at his hands. Back to normal. The world was bathed in orange/pink light as the sun set. He realised he was laid on a blanket on the soft grass, covered with his coat and a second blanket. Ianto was sat next to him, watching the technicolour sky. 

“There are easier ways to get me to watch the sunset with you.” Jack smiled.

Ianto looked over his shoulder in surprise. “How are you feeling?”

“Never better.” 

“You sound back to your normal self.”

He shakily sat up, still a little disoriented. “Is it dealt with?”

“The monsters are gone. Tosh and Owen are making sure no one is injured over at the pub and Elise is making sure the SUV is ready to go when we are.” He gestured over to Elise, who was reorganising everything in the boot as she’d had to dig through quite a bit earlier. 

“And the device?”

“Destroyed I’m afraid. I doubt anything inside it is salvageable.”

“It would only have to be sent to the secure archive anyway… It was you who rescued me, wasn’t it?”

“I didn’t think you’d remember. You were… In a bad way.”

“It’s hazy but I could tell. I don’t know how you can look at me after seeing me like that.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why would you being hurt make me unable to look at you?”

“It’s not a mental image that’s easy to get rid of.” 

“As handsome as you are that’s not all I see in you.”

He rested a hand on Iantos, interlacing their fingers. “Of anyone to gain immortality… I’m glad it was you.” 


End file.
